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MetaRoCE: From Spec to NIC to Open Source#

@Scale: Networking 2026 digest Program Core pick 25 August 2026

Abstract

Sandeep Nagaraja (Meta), Balakrishnan Raman (AMD)

  • Why: The companion deep-dive with the evidence: real-world performance results across multiplane topologies, tail latency, and long-distance RDMA, plus the open-source release (specification, reference implementation, compliance suites) at OCP. For anyone deciding whether MetaRoCE matters beyond Meta, this is the talk with numbers.
  • What: MetaRoCE's journey from specification to silicon: a reference software implementation on AMD programmable NICs, demonstrated scaling out within a cluster and scaling across fabrics for diverse deployment needs. Performance results span multiplane FPF topologies, tail-latency optimization, and long-distance RDMA. First look at Meta's open-source release of the specification, reference implementation, and compliance suites at OCP. (from abstract only)
  • How: Reference software implementation on AMD programmable NIC hardware; the scaling and performance claims are demonstrated on that stack rather than only asserted.
  • Where applicable: The reference implementation is tied to AMD programmable NIC silicon — an implementation constraint, not a protocol one — and the performance results come from Meta's multiplane FPF deployment context. The open spec and compliance suites are aimed at portable adoption by others.